Valve or well capper



' Feb. l1o. l1925. l j 1,525,801

l w. E. CRAWFORD VALVE o WELL APPER Filed 'April' 5, 'm23 Patented Feb.' l0, i

wiLLIAM n CRAWFORD, or navnniton'rmia.

vALvE on Awlmi, curan.

`Application 1ed pril 5,

" T all 'whomr z'zf may concern:l

Be it known that-I, WILLIAM CRAW- ifroRD, a' citizen of theV United States, residing at Havre, in the countyof Hill and State of Montana, have invented certain new vand useful Improvements in Valve or Well Cappers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact 'descriptionof .the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a valve and it aims to 4provide a novel and etlicientcon-A struction adapted for use to cap Wells to prevent the gushing of oil, gas or water therefrom.

c the end that the capping or operation ofthevis It is particularly aimed to provide a construction which may be operated while the cable or rope as ordinarily used to suspend the auger or drilling means is in place, to

valve may be more expeditious.

Another object is to' provide a particular construction wherein the valve means coacts with the said rope or cable in order to cap the well.

Still another object is-to provide a novel construction whereby the valve may be ac' .tuated lfrom a distance as in cases of lire.

It is also aimed to provide a novel construction embodying the various details, combinations and arrangement of the parts hereinafter described and illustrated in accompanying drawings.

In said drawings I- .'.pure 1 is a View in vertical section showing the valve in place in a well casing;

Figure 2 is a. view on an enlarged scale looking interior] of the valve and with one of the sections-o the casing removed;

Figure 3 4is an end elevation of the valve, and

Figures 4 and 5 are respectively cross-sectional views through the valve taken on the lines 4 4 and 5-5 of Figure 2.

Lilie reference characters designate like or similar parts in the different views.

In reducing the invention to practice, a suitable casing is provided as at 10 for'instance made in metallic sections 11 and 12, either ot which ina y be uppermost. The sections 11 and 12 are preferably separably connected together as by means of bolts at 13. Section 11 is substantially a plate-while section 12 is of dished formation." Each secieas. seriaiNo. 630,146.

tion 11 and12 has alined openings 14 disposed transversely therethrough and surrounded by' collars 15' in the' form of flanges `integral with and extending from the sections 11 and 12. Sections of. a well casing as indicated at 16 are adapted for connection to the collars 15 for instance, by screw threads as shown at 14, In this way,` the casing 10 is connected\\to thel well casing but it is to be understood that any other preferred manner or means tending toward this'en'd may be utilized. 17 designates the rope or cable used tosuspend the auger (not shown) or other drilling means fronra point above the well and which suspending meinber 17 passes through the sections 16 and the casing ,sections 11 and 12 as shown .in Fi ure 1. f

asing section 12 isinwardly depressed in order to provide a ledge 18 alonfr which a metallic valve plate 19 is adapted'to slide.

A n aetuatingrod or stem 2O is screw thread` ed in one end of the casing section'12 and .at-its other end is adapted for connection 4to the valve so as to slide the latter through turning of said stem 20. In vthis connection, stern 20 adjacent its free end may have an annular groove 21 engaged by spaced fingers 22 extending at an angle and integrally trom the plate 19. As a result 'of this Acenstruction, when the'sections of the casing are separated,l the valve plate 19 may be readily removed or disengaged from the stem 20. An operating wheel 23 may be provided on the stem 20 and adapted for manual operation if desired but preferably adapted for actuation through the medium of a belt or flexible element 24 trained in a peripheral groove of said wheel. This element 24 permits actuation of the device from a distance which is advisable in case of a re in or adjacent the casing.

'lhe distal end of the 'valve plate 19 is adapted to'engage the cable or suspending element 17 and at the zone oi engagement, said plate is preferably notched as at 26 to lit and acconnnodatr said cable or suspending element 17.

In practice the valve plate 19 is usually maintained as far as practical to the right in Figure 1 or at least out of alinement with the openings 14. Should it be desired to close the well or casing represented by sections 16, for any reason, as in case of fire, or a heavy flow of gas or water attending a gusher, the stem 20 is turned, preferably through manipulation of the flexible element 24 since it may he operated at'a distance from the Well although if desired the wheel 23 may be manually gripped rby the hand -and thus operated. The valve is through opera-tion of said stem'20 slid' over the openings 14 to close them inasmuch as the valve is of a thickness equal to the depth of thedepressionl above the ledge 18 and enigagesi both saidv ledge 18 and the under surface offsection 11S Such sliding movement causes Valve 12) to engage that poi-tion of 1lic s ispending Lelement. 13 in its path, thus 15 fhnipi'essiug or 'intunately engaging and ac- .,/comniolatingfthe cable at notch 2li and the adjacent end wall of( section l2. lVhen the,cable thus envage'd. Athe edge of the plate 19 on each side of the notch 26 inti- 20 mately engages the vadjaeent end ujall of the section 12. The 'well mayfthus be promptly and eleetvely closed by the Valve plate in combination with the'cable or suspending element 17. This is particularly advantage- '5 ous since it does not require removal vof the suspending element or cable 17 in order to close the well or its casing.

Changes Vmay be resorted. to within lia:

spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention .su

1. A valve device of the class described having a casing, in combination with a toolsuspending means passing therethrough, and a. valve having a notch to receive said means, .said valve being operable in the casing to engage an end wall thereof and to move said means into engagement therewith.

2. A" valvedevice of the class described 'l having, a casingin sections separably connected together, in combination with a tool-Y suspending means passing tliroughlflthe'casing, one of the sections-having a' ledge, a',-

,val'e ulale lslidable-on said ledge and en-v Y gageahie at one end with the walls of' the 

